International Ethical Conflicts - Research Proposal Example

International Ethical Conflicts Executive Summary The purpose for this research is to analyse the outcomes of the various strategies that are used bythe company to resolve organisational ethical conflicts. The literature review suggests that one of the best ways of analysing the purpose is given by Hamilton, Knouse, Hill model that suggests the researcher to visit different organizations and ask relevant questions to the managers of the organization about the strategies and policies they use to resolve organizational conflicts. Through these questions the organization’s overall performance can also be judged. The research can be conducted in a mixed method approach by conducting survey over the employees and their responses helps to determine the organization’s work ethics. The employees are expected to respond on a rating of five points regarding their views about the performance of the organization. The literature review suggests the views of various researches regarding the ethical conflict management. An organization faces a number of challenges and conflicts and it is very important to resolve these conflicts otherwise the company would have to run at a loss and the ultimate option that the company would have is to shut down. Thus it is expected that the organization hires efficient managers who are capable of resolving the conflicts and maintain the company’s reputation in the market. Table of Contents 1.Introduction 4 2.Background 4 2.1 Research Aim 7 2.2 Research Objectives 7 3.Research Methodology 8 3.1 Sampling Plan 8 3.2 Data Collection Method 9 3.3 Data Analysis and Presentation Plan 12 4.Ethical issues 14 5.Time-Plan 14 6.Limitations 15 7.Conclusion 15 Reference List 17 1. Introduction As a result of Globalisation, several countries vary in various aspects. For example, the countries have diverse cultural, economical, social, ethical and linguistic backgrounds that can lead to ethical conflicts among the multinational companies (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). Diversity in culture among various employees of different companies can result in conflicts regarding their views that can prove to be risky for the company’s reputation in the market. Cross cultural variations dealing with behaviour, norms, values, etiquette of various employees and workforce may have a huge impact on the company’s growth prospect (Patel, Harrison and McKinnon, 2002). The behavioural ethics determines the company’s management styles and the work culture. In order to achieve success and maintain corporate image, the company should follow its business ethics. It provides various guidelines for maintaining an ethical relationship with other organizations (Patel, Harrison and McKinnon, 2002; Voigt, 2009). The conflicts that may arise are the clashes in business and among the employees who try to dominate within the organization (Reidenberg, 2000). An unethical behaviour by a company represents practice of asymmetric information among the partners such that the profit is not equally distributed and one company tries to grab large market share. The companies often try to enjoy monopoly power by copying other company’s strategies and branding with its own name (Reidenberg, 2000). Researchers say that unethical behaviour of a company has a severe impact on the company’s stock prices and this unethical behaviour tends to decrease the company’s wealth (Reidenberg, 2000). Often in some of the companies it is observed that the unethical practices are encouraged by the managers and senior executives who spoil the company’s brand name and the company loses its customers as well as employees (Reidenberg, 2000). 2. Background Ethics is all about values that an individual, a member of an organization and a senior manager inculcates in them but the ethical aspect in an organization is characterised by ethical environment and culture of that organization (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). It is very important to run a business and maintain the organization’s reputation in the market. Researcher considers this as an art to resolve the cross-country issues and helps to run peaceful business (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). The ethical issue faced by many individuals and the organization mainly comprising of two complex problems leading to dilemmas among the higher authorities in making many decisions (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). Researchers have identified that there are various ways of dealing with conflicts that is the individual or the organization can either compete and win the conflict or avoid the source from where the conflict arises. There are managers who have their own ways of dealing with conflicts (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). According to Patel, Harrison and McKinnon, (2002) there are three possible ways of resolving conflicts such as domination, compromise and integration. Several questionnaires are prepared to help the managers understand the various strategies they use and the impact of those strategies in resolution of the conflicts. However, the strategies used by the managers should be appropriate under certain conditions. Researcher suggests that the ethical environment of a company can also be analysed by conducting various surveys on the employees of different organizations (Reidenberg, 2000). According to the researchers, Hamilton and Knouse, (2001), a model has been suggested in order to analyse the ethical aspects of different companies. The model highlights the key elements that are essential in judging the company’s decision making process. The model emphasises on the various strategies that a company uses to resolve the cross-country ethical conflicts (Reidenberg, 2000). The model considers it to be very important that the managers are aware of the various approaches that the company uses for decision making (Reidenberg, 2000). This model was first used by the US internet service provider company named Google who wanted to expand its business over China. A survey revealed that the strategies used by this company to manage ethical conflicts were not that transparent and hence the Hamilton, Knouse and Hill (HKH) model was used to determine the strategies that were used by the company to resolve the conflicts (Reidenberg, 2000). Ethical conflicts in China first evolved in a garment industry as the violation of human rights invited criticisms from the non-government organization and the stakeholder groups of the company. Internet providers in China were required to set up business by signing an agreement (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). Many of the internet service providers signed the agreement who wish to offer better services to its customers (Rose-Ackerman, 2002). However, signing of this agreement had a serious impact on the service providers as few companies had to shut down their business due to poor performance in the market. Prior to the business set up by Google in China, their search engine was illegally operated by different customers (Rose-Ackerman, 2002). Nonetheless, Google found it profitable to do their business in China and thus signed the agreement. When Google started its business in China, it was considered as an ethical company and the HKH Model gave the opportunity in order to determine the strategies applied by the company to resolve the cross country conflicts (Rose-Ackerman, 2002). According to the model, there are three strategies that the firm may adopt, for example, the firm may run its business on their own way or according to its partners, or the firm may choose to shut down. The model asks various questions so as to find out which strategy proves to be beneficial for the company (Rose-Ackerman, 2002). Another strategy that the company may adopt is to change the customs and laws of the host country in order to run the business according to the other company’s protocol (Rose-Ackerman, 2002). The model suggests that the higher authority in a company should develop ethical values in order to participate in the firm’s decision making process (Rose-Ackerman, 2002). If the higher authorities follow this model, it is highly expected that the lower level managers will also follow this model in order to make valuable decisions for the company. The top management can plan out strategies using this model so that it can make decision for the future growth of the company. Researcher says that the model also provides a structure for the organization to resolve its cross-country ethical conflicts (Tjosvold, 2008). However, there were some of the limitations of the HKH Model. This model is not useful unless the firm has clear objectives and strategies to resolve ethical conflicts among international organizations. Larger firms are accustomed to such processes whereas, smaller firms are not efficient enough to plan out strategies and hence the model would not be applicable for the smaller firms (Afzalur Rahim, 2002; Gritten, Saastamoinen and Sajama, 2009). The model uses a qualitative methodology to analyse the policy issues of various organizations, however, it fails to guarantee universally accepted ethical decisions (Ess, 2006 ; Smith and Hume, 2005; Ginsburg, et al., 2000). It has been studied that in many cases the conflicts play a crucial role in an organization. Researcher says that there is a special type of conflict that arises known as the ‘Generating Conflict’ which helps in conflict resolution (Voigt, 2009; Snell, Tjosvold and Fang, 2006). This situation occurs when the costs of not participating in the conflicts are high and the resources are readily available and the conflicts prove to be beneficial for the organization. The term workplace relationship refers to the interpersonal relationship among the individuals and the organization which is very important for the business (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 2014; Huang, 2001). These kinds of conflicts may sometimes impose a lot of stress on the individuals and the organizations that often make the employees to claim for the psychological damage caused. Further it has been studied that the conflicts in the workplace spoils the inter-personal relationship among the individuals as well as the organizations, loss of productivity among the individuals and also causes lack of job satisfaction (Benatar, 2004; French and Weis, 2000). The researcher says that any conflict needs to be addressed using various strategies that the manager finds effective to resolve the conflicts (Benatar, 2004; French and Weis, 2000). According to a conflict management strategy, an individual and organizations choose to resolve conflicts under pressure in various ways and choose the organization’s own strategies rather than depending on their business partners (Reisel and Sama, 2003; Emanuel, et al., 2004). 2.1 Research Aim To know about the initiatives that the organizations undertake to overcome the ethical conflicts. 2.2 Research Objectives To find out the reasons for the ethical conflicts among various international organizations. The various strategies undertaken by the companies to resolve the conflicts in order to run a successful business. Whether the employees are satisfied to be a part of the organization The impacts of the various strategies on the organizations and which strategy has been used most commonly by the managers of various organizations. 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Sampling Plan Qualitative Approach This research would make it clear that the various ethical conflicts among the international organizations take place on the basics of customs, traditions and other social issues. This study would also reveal the different strategies taken by the senior managers of the organizations to resolve these ethical conflicts within the organizations (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). A sample is a set of data collected from a large population depending on which the researcher derives a conclusion about the parent population. and the researcher has to use a sampling technique known as convenience sampling (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). This is a non-probabilistic approach that involves drawing of samples from a particular segment of population that is readily available and the type of sampling is known as convenience sampling (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). This technique requires the individual to visit various organizations and conduct interviews for the managers of those organizations. This kind of methodology is mainly used by the researcher to analyse the time-cost, feasibility and adverse events in order to predict the sample size and design a better methodology for carrying out the analysis (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). The researcher is expected to visit an organization and its international counterpart and conduct interviews of two managers in each of the organization and its international counterpart. The researcher wishes to conduct a mixed method approach by interviewing the managers of these organizations to know the strategy used by them to resolve organizational conflicts. The researcher must make sure that the manager of the organization is well experienced and has served the organization for a longer period of time. Quantitative Approach The employees and the stakeholders are the most important assets of an organization and through this study the employees’ views about the organization would also be clear. It is expected that the company can undertake three types of strategies that is, either it would run its business according to its own protocol or it would follow the protocol of its international counterpart. In case the company is running at a loss, often the higher authority decides to close the business (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). Hence, the study would help the researcher understand the impact of these various strategies undertaken by the companies. This research proposal regarding analysing the various strategies used by the organisations to resolve the cross-country ethical conflicts depends on quantitative data analysis (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). In order to carry out this research, the researcher needs to conduct sample survey on employees of two organizations belonging to different countries. The quantitative data can be collected through conducting various surveys on various organizations and interviewing different employees of the organizations. The data collection methodology is based on various ways of collecting sample data (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). The primary data is collected by conducting surveys on various organizations and their employees. Questionnaires can be prepared based on the person to be interviewed and at least 200 questionnaires are to be prepared. The researcher has to convince the employees to respond to their questionnaires and make sure that they participate with interest (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). On the contrary, secondary data can be conducted by the researchers by reading various journals and going through the organizational websites. Information can be collected regarding the strategies that have been used by the organizations in the past to resolve ethical conflicts and the performance of the organizations over a long period of time (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). These data are then analysed using various tools and techniques by the researchers to evaluate the performance of different organizations in the market. 3.2 Data Collection Method Qualitative Approach In conducting the research the researcher has chosen to carry out interviews for the managers because the managers are the most experienced personnel in the organization (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). They are capable of handling situations in case of any conflicts that come across the organization. The managers are expected to poses the full information about the company and about the various projects that the company undertakes (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). The questions for the mangers are to be formulated according to the organizational perspective. The answers to the questions must cover all the details regarding the organization and the strategies that the manager undertakes. The researcher should be aware of the fact that their questions should not hurt the sentiments of the managers (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). The questions asked during the interview should be in simple language which can be easily answered by the managers. Since the researcher plans to conduct a mixed method approach, some of the interview questions are to be prepared for the managers as well, such that their responses helps to analyse the organizations overall performance (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). The research questions for the managers would be as follows. How do you narrate the organizations’ goals and missions? What is the company’s net profit over last five years? What are the challenges that the company is facing? What are the strategies that the company uses in resolving organizational conflicts between two business partners? Where do you expect a growth or change in this organization? These questions depend on the organization’s vision, mission and goals, and the goal is to analyse the ability of the organization in resolving the conflicts and the key skills that are essential for further improvement of the organization. The interview is basically conducted in the organization itself because there is high probability that the managers always available and the managers would find it easy to explain about the organizations and its functions (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). The researcher should maintain their ethical values while conducting the interviews. The researcher should not force the managers to answer to their queries. A researcher must have some convincing power such that the mangers would not feel hesitant to answer. Further the researcher should record the answers given by the managers in a tape recorder to access it in future (Leidner and Kayworth, 2006). Quantitative Approach The researcher prefers to visit the organization in order to conduct survey on the employees because it would be easier to conduct the survey on as many employees as the researcher wishes. At first a set of questionnaire is to be prepared for the employees and they need to answer based on which the analysis is to be carried out for various organizations (Reisel and Sama, 2003; Emanuel, et al., 2004). The researcher plans to conduct the survey on around 200 employees and the questionnaires are prepared accordingly. The set of questionnaires are to be distributed among the employees of an organization and its international counterpart. The questions should be in simple language that the employees feel comfortable to answer. The questions should be such that it does not create any sort of pressure on the employees while answering and their identities and responses should be completely kept censored (Mukherji and Albon, 2009). The researcher should encourage the employees to participate in the survey process so that the researcher is able to collect more relevant data and the analysis can be easily carried out (Reisel and Sama, 2003; Emanuel, et al., 2004). The employees need to give their responses in the form of ratings in a scale from one to five with the ratings as follows: 1. Strongly disagree 2. Disagree 3. Neutral 4. Agree 5. Strongly agree The employees are expected to respond accordingly. The questions for the employees can be framed as follows. I am committed to work in this organisation for a longer time. I am highly satisfied with my job. The organisation follows a highly ethical work culture. I am not satisfied with my job and I am actively looking for a job outside this organization. I would like to recommend my friends to join this organisation. The questionnaires along with the answers must be preserved by the researcher for further analysis. The researcher can store these documents in a file which can be easily accessed in future. Based on the responses of the employees, the analysis can be done on whether the organization is successful in maintaining its organisational ethics or it needs some improvement (Reisel and Sama, 2003; Emanuel, et al., 2004). The dependent variable for this survey would be the organization’s performance and this performance depends on various other factors which can be considered as independent variable (Reisel and Sama, 2003; Emanuel, et al., 2004). So, the independent variables for this survey would be employees’ job satisfaction and organization’s ethical culture. Then, a regression is run by considering these variables and depending on the correlation among the variables the outcome is determined. 3.3 Data Analysis and Presentation Plan Qualitative Analysis The researcher has the will to conduct a research on the ability of different organizations to resolve international ethical conflicts within the business partners. Also, the other motive of the researcher is to find out whether the company follows the HKH model that suggests that the managers of various organizations should be interviewed in order to know the strategy that the organization uses for resolving conflicts (Reisel and Sama, 2003; Emanuel, et al., 2004). The approach that the researcher wishes to use here is that of the mixed method approach. Using the qualitative data collected by conducting interviews of the managers the analysis is done whether the company is performing well in resolving the ethical conflicts or it needs some improvement (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). In case the company is not performing well in resolving conflicts the researcher can determine ways for the betterment of the company such that the company can set up its business efficiently. In this qualitative approach the data is presented in the form of question and answers and the answers would determine whether the company is ethically conducting its business (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). The researcher can also analyze the impact of the strategies that the company’s mangers undertake. The qualitative data is to be interpreted by the researcher in order to understand the various tools and techniques used by the organization in order to overcome the challenges that the company faces (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). The company has to run its business with its international counterpart and hence it is very crucial for the company to understand the social issues of the partner organization. The managers of the companies make the ultimate decision about the way company should deal with adverse situations or how should the company resolve the conflicts (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). Quantitative Analysis As the quantitative analysis suggests the company conducts a survey on the employees of the organization. The survey basically deals with the employees who need to answer a simple questionnaire prepared by the researcher and the researcher analyses it using the various data analysis techniques (Somekh and Lewin, 2004). The researcher plans to run a regression where he has to consider some dependent and some independent variable (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). The overall performance of the organization can be considered as the dependent variable and the independent variables are the employee satisfaction and the ethical aspect of the organization. The regression analysis evolves a summary output which indicates the correlation among the variables. The value of the t-statistic shows the degree of association among the variables (Rothwell, 2005). In case the variables are strongly correlated then it implies that the employee satisfaction and the organization’s work culture are highly responsible for the organization’s overall performance (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). The researcher can draw a conclusion from this that if the employees are satisfied they would perform well which in turn would contribute to the organization’s performance. Further the ethical work culture of the organization is also important for the employees to have a better environment to work in (Hamilton, Knouse and Hill, 2009). Thus through this analysis the researcher can interpret that there are various factors that affect the organizations’ performance. The organization would be able to resolve its ethical conflicts only through the performance of the employees and the managers who are considered as the most valuable assets of the organization. 4. Ethical issues The researcher while conducting the research must be aware of some of the ethical aspects like the information regarding the participants’ personal details must be kept anonymous. The data collected by the researcher must be kept secured and it should not be shared by any third party (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhil, 2009). The researcher should encourage the participants to respond to the questionnaire and not force them to take part. The survey questionnaires should be favourable for the participants so that they do not feel hesitant to answer these questions (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). The objective of the research should be clearly explained to the participants and the participants are free to deny their participation in case they are uncomfortable in answering the questionnaire. The researcher should ensure that the research that is carried out provides a valuable outcome. The research requires fetching a lot of secondary data from authentic sources like the journals by well-known authors. The data must be analysed in an extensive method and efficiency is highly required to make the research error free (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). Further, while collecting the primary data, the researcher must ensure that they are interviewing the right person that is the manager of the organisation. The researcher must have some convincing power in case the employees hesitate to fill in the questionnaires. The researcher must also make sure that the manager provides authentic information about the organisation’s overall performance (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). The questionnaires must be prepared such that it covers the research question as well as the research objectives. The research questionnaires must be prepared with proper planning such that it helps in analysing the various strategies and whether these strategies are effective in resolving organizational ethical conflicts (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). The researcher can also determine whether some other strategies would prove to be beneficial for the organizations. The research must be such that it provides a detailed analysis and interpretation about the effectiveness of the strategies as well as the efficiency of the employees and the managers can also be judged (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003) . 5. Time-Plan Gantt chart 6. Limitations The research conducted through this process has a few disadvantages that the process of analysing the data is very time-consuming and lengthy process (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). Further, while collecting the primary data by conducting surveys on different employees, the researcher may face some difficulties like the employees may feel hesitant to respond. The researcher might find it difficult to convince the employees to participate (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). While conducting interviews of the managers, there is a possibility that the manager may not share all the information required for conducting the study. This gives rise to asymmetric information and the outcomes derived from the research may be full of errors (Klink and Smith, 2001; Guala, 2003). 7. Conclusion Through this research, the researcher had an opportunity to interact with the employees of various organizations and the senior managers. It also allows the researcher to know about the organization and the overall performance of this organization. The researcher could carry out a lot of analysis using the primary data collected and had an opportunity to study a lot of journals. 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